THANKFUL FOR THE LITTLE

Yesterday, I had lunch with my friend Haig Buchakjian at a small Italian restaurant right across the street from the Diocese. It’s called Nonna Dora’s. Now, it’s not a big place. It’s not fancy, but it’s known for handmade pasta. And what makes it truly special is that Nonna Dora herself, well into her 80s, still sits right there by the kitchen, rolling out dough with her own hands.

As I sat there enjoying that meal, my thoughts drifted back to Armenia in the early 1990s, some of the hardest years of our lives. There were power outages, food shortages, and bitter cold winters. And yet, in the midst of that hardship, my grandmother Eva, may God rest her soul, would find a way to feed us. With just a little flour, some water, and her own two hands, she would make Reshta, our Armenian version of linguini.

And as she worked, I can still hear her whisper, “Park kez, Der.” “Thank You, Lord.” She wasn’t asking why we didn’t have more. She wasn’t complaining or worrying. She was simply giving thanks for the flour, the water, for just enough. And somehow, that gratitude carried us through. Somehow, we always had enough.

Friends, you may feel like what you have right now isn’t much. You’ve got a little patience left. A little hope. A little strength. But God doesn’t need a lot to do a lot. He just needs a little that’s surrendered. Jesus didn’t feed the five thousand with a warehouse full of bread. He used five loaves and two fish. A little boy’s lunch became a miracle when it was placed in the Master’s hands.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” He doesn’t say give thanks when your cupboards are full, but in all circumstances. Because gratitude isn’t based on the size of the blessing. Gratitude is based on the size of your faith.

So, don’t complain about the little. Don’t dismiss what seems small. Instead, thank God for it. Give Him the little peace you have, the little joy, the little provision. Because when you place your “little” in the hands of our great God, He begins to multiply it. That’s when the miracles start to unfold.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
June 19, 2025